Descendant of original stitcher helps recreate Eureka flag

Val D'Angri is the great great granddaughter of one of the creators of the original Eureka flag. She is overseeing the stitching of a Eureka flag replica, as part of the 160th Eureka Stockade anniversary celebrations.

When Ballarat needlecraft teacher Val D'Angri first laid eyes on the original Eureka flag more than 40 years ago, it was love at first sight.

"I fell in love as soon as I saw this tatty flag. It really looked sad," she says.

Ms D'Angri was the first person to carry out conservation work on the 4m by 2.59m flag in 1973.

"It covered most of the floor in one of the gallery rooms. I had my family with me, and I think we all went, 'ooh' at the size of it."

She was shocked to later discover that her great great grandmother, seamstress Anastasia Withers, was one of a trio of women who are believed to have created the original Flag of the Southern Cross, a symbol of revolution.

"I suddenly felt very small and thought, 'how on earth did they pick me out of all of Ballarat?' It's just coincidence, but fate does this to us all, it changes our lives. And this did."

Ms D'Angri is currently overseeing the recreation of the flag at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka, along with women from Ballaarat Quilters and the Embroiderers Guild.

While her contribution was mainly symbolic - she added three or four stitches - Ms D'Angri says family members have come from across the state to take part in the public project.

"It's amazing how it has brought us all together."

Ms D'Angri imagines the atmosphere at the stitching sessions isn't so different to how it would have been in the old days.

"I look around and think, 'we could be back in the 1850s'. Because women sewing together chat and share the scissors, and all the other things that you're working with.

"I feel we're carrying forward the women's craft of sewing, and I'm just so thrilled that it's coming alive in this recreated flag. It really will have meaning to Ballarat, and the people that sewed it."

One of the reasons for recreating the flag is to try to work out how long it took the three women to make the original.

Ms D'Angri says it's believed they began working on it at the start of November 1854, and it was flying on a flagpole by the end of the month.

"They must have worked particularly hard, but their stitching is so fine. It's hard to believe that they could do such beautiful work."

The completed flag will be flown on December the 3rd to mark the 160th anniversary of the Eureka Stockade.

Members of the public can sign up to participate in a stitching session by visiting the MADE website.